


Pick One

by Nocturnal_Daydreams



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Love Confessions, Sad, Sad Caleb Widogast, Spoilers, Trapped, love informant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:27:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29725545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nocturnal_Daydreams/pseuds/Nocturnal_Daydreams
Summary: Spoilers for 127Trent finds the 3 amigos in the basement and has a proposition, volunteer one stay as guarentee of their return or he'll kill them all. Who will they choose and how could it all go this wrong?
Relationships: Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast, referred to jester/fjord
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	Pick One

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to Doc for the idea!
> 
> and every one in the wj chat going off on the angst that could come from it.
> 
> Hope you all like! 
> 
> Translations at the end btw

“What a surprise to see you back in the sanatorium, Bren? Did you miss the toys up the stairs?” Trent asked, almost politely. It was all Jester needed to hear.

She took her serrated lollipop and running struck him across the face with it. He bled and she was a little taken aback. He seemed unbothered by his blood though and with a step forward into the room more and some hand movements they were all stuck to the wall with webs. All struggling against it.

“See, you’re not going to want to do that. If you break free I have the ability to and will kill all 3 of you, right here, right now. I don’t want to but I will.” Trent had a teacher like quality to his voice that made everyone but Caleb he used to be one. He uncovered their faces from the webs so they could see clearly before starting again. As much as they all wanted to, none of them moved. They know he spoke the truth and right now he had the high ground, “Thank you. Now, I’m not going to ask why you’re here or what you’re doing with my things. I’m not even going to ask for them back yet. But these are going to be… on a loan. I hear things. About Aeor. I hear of your good work, often, Bren.”

“Caleb.” All 3 said.

“Caleb, yes. So, Caleb. You have the next few minutes to decide your price. You’re putting one of these two beautiful Frau, up for collateral.”

It was like the air was sucked out the room.

“W-w-what?” He hadn’t quite stuttered like that in a while.

“You should know, all substantial loans, must have collateral. You may all 3 talk but Caleb must decide. Should he not, I shall take you both.”

“Take me.” Caleb instantly offered.

Trent shook his head, “No. See that's not how it works. We need the Empire represented up there, you’re one of our best. Also frankly, Bren, I don’t trust you.”

“Caleb.” Jester said again.

“I don’t trust you either. We are usually allowed a grace period.” Caleb tensed, trying not to struggle out.

Trent put a hand to his chest, as if it only just occurred to him what Caleb thought of him. It was a lie through and through and Caleb was tired of it, already, “Of course Bren, I am reasonable. 7 days. You may have 7 days grace.”

7 days without harm. 7 days, if they could avoid being put into the astral plane everything would be a-okay. Or if they could send a message across that what’s done was done. It was a big gamble but the other alternative was dying here trying to unbind from the wall.

“I’ll stay.” Veth and Jester insisted at the same time and Caleb felt his heart go into unnatural rhythms.

“Very kind of you girls, but as I said, he must say.”

They said it again towards Caleb this time.

“I can handle it.”

“You’ll get more done with her.”

Caleb wanted to be sick. Trent watched them all as they talked back and forth for approximately half a minute when he saw it. Just after he reasoned, “I see all of you know the pains of your mind being tested. Sanity on a threadbare. But should you only take a week to complete things, nothing will be at stake.”

There had been something he noticed. He was sure. He walked closer once again with the proud, smug smile on his face and his fingers steepled as he watched it all for a while. They ignored him, which was fine, he didn’t want to talk until he was sure.

When he finally couldn’t hold it in any more like a wrinkled, evil, old child he grinned with an odd light in his eyes.

He turned to Veth, “You are like family. You love her, yes? You have so little family left, Bren? Why leave her here? Is it because she is a mother? Frau, I know a mother when I see one, I knew Una had that same spark. Go to the ends of the earth for their children. But Caleb is not your child, your own is somewhere and will not know where you went. Truly a shame.”

Veth knew he was playing with Caleb’s guilt complex and so viscerally hated every single thing about this appallingly disgusting old man that she took none of it and simply stopped listening. Trying to think on when this was over how she was to see Luc, and play with him as often as she could.

“But,” He said in front of Caleb’s face, before standing in front of Jester, “on the other hand...”

“Don’t listen Jester.” Veth called out. Trent looked over at Veth, to Jester to Caleb and gave a painful smile. Not a one of them could figure out the intention until he started speaking.

“Das ist die Fraulein, die du wirklich liebst, ja? Der, auf den du gewartet hast, um zu sagen, dass ‘ich dich liebe’?” He spoke in Zemnian, in front of Jester but looking Caleb squarely in the eyes the entire time. He had always intended to freak Caleb out with it. And from what each of them saw, it was getting to him. Now he wasn’t struggling to not break free but actively attempting to loosen the webs. It was no good though. Trent tutted, “Schade, sie liebt dich nicht, oder?”

Caleb’s eyes bore straight into the floor.

“Caleb, I will be fine here. I promise.” Jester insisted, guessing that he was praying on Caleb’s want to keep her safe mentally as she kept him safe physically. She wouldn’t break though. She knew better than that. She was stronger than they thought.

“Astrid and Eodwulf will be so disappointed, Bren.” Trent taunted, “Such a shame.”

It seemed to Veth and Jester that both were on the right track. Trent was obviously emotionally toying with Caleb and it was so easily working. 

“It’s Caleb. Bren died when you brought him here.” She defended.

“Caleb, don’t you dare stick her here. I will stay.” Veth pleaded as they had done countless times in the short space they had been here.

“Veth. Take Veth.” Caleb uttered, tears pouring down his face. There was silence and a hum of approval and a rip from the wall which was when he heard Veth call out. 

“No, no, no. Don’t. I’ll go, I'll go.” She insisted, still on the wall beside him.

In front of them both with Trent’s frail, clawing, boney hand around her wrist was Jester and the other round her throat, simply keeping her head level. With a spell she was stuck in place and his hands were on her shoulders.

“So, you’re going to stand here and watch Caleb this entire time, okay? I want you to know that it’s his fault that I would have always picked you to stay, ja?”

“Jester…” Caleb whispered. Veth looked worried and confused and wanted to reach out for her dear detective friend.

“Fraulein Jester. Would you like me to tell you why?” 

Caleb began to move again. Still making no headway on the webs, Jester watched him. She wasn’t sure what spell it was but she doubted that she would be able to look away from Caleb even without a speck of magic. She’d never seen him like this.

“Aasgeier.” He hissed at Trent whose teacher smile never fell off his face. He was about to start a spew of swears when Trent spoke.

“Because he loves you most, Jester. Not just that though, dear. In love with you. He’s more in love than I’ve ever seen him before. That’s going to hurt some feelings. But… It means he’s more likely to come back. For you. However, he does not have a good rate for coming back to the Empire for those he loves, 2 for 2 he never came back. Let’s see, since the third is so different, will we yield a different result?”

Jester was going to insist he was a cranky, crazy old man regardless of any thoughts she had in her mind but it killed her to see Caleb instantly slump as he spoke. Looking up at her and visibly praying she heard not a word. Begging her to not watch him fall apart in front of her. She hadn’t noticed she was crying too until she heard Veth try to soothe them both. All while the decrepit living corpse talked. It was true. Caleb truly loved her; with every millisecond it was more obvious. Why did that shake her to her very core?

Plenty of people had crushes on her and sure there were times she wished for him and wondered why her Prince Charmings’ didn’t look like him and often didn’t act like him but to her he seemed so charming. But she loved Fjord, didn’t she?

So why did his honest look into her eyes bore through her entire soul?

Veth was the first to speak sense.

“We need the bag.”

“So you shall have it.” he cast another spell and both of them seemed out of it, instantaneously, “You are to take the bag, get out of here and head to Aeor as fast as you possibly can, okay? Do not come back for her until you are done in Aeor. I am not unreasonable, so you may hug her but she cannot hug you. Then go.”

With that the web was gone and they were both hugging her and taking her bag. It did not feel like it should. The hug lacked the warmth. Then they were gone. Caleb was in love. They had always assumed that. But not with Astrid. With her.

She may need a week to take in this information. Then she recalled the horror scene upstairs and prayed the minutes would pass quick.

\- 

A knock came on the door of the magic proof room. Arti visited her from outside but without her spells there was nothing he could do. It wasn’t Arti though.

Trent’s tall, slender form stood tall. She felt her heart race. Was it the 7th or the 8th day?

“They’ve done it. I received my package this morning. I am in fact a man of my word. You may go, Fraulein Jester Lavorre.”

She stood and nodded, they both knew she wasn’t going to say thank you. There was no need to. He did not deserve thanks.

Outside on the edge of the gate stood the Mighty Nein. She had been away for the busiest week of their lives and she felt horrendous. When she saw Caleb’s smile at seeing her safe though, she felt a little better. The hugs felt warm and proper like it was supposed to and Arti joined in. She looked around them. She’d had a lot of time to think.

Maybe it was time they talked.

**Author's Note:**

> Translations
> 
> Das ist die Frau, die du wirklich liebst, ja? der, auf den du gewartet hast, um zu sagen, dass ich dich liebe? - This is the woman you really love, yes? the one you waited for to say i love you?  
> Schade, sie liebt dich nicht, oder?- Too bad she doesn't love you, right? 
> 
> Aasgeier - Vulture
> 
> Also to clarify - the waiting to say isnt that he didnt love Astrid or Eadwulf but comes from that tumblr post of languages that their versions of direct translation i love yous are too intense to be quoted so easily and that german is on that list so zemnian would be the same (i genuinely couldnt sleep before I remembered to put this)


End file.
